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Naturally talking up his company over its competitor, Smith said Microsoft “welcomes” employee dissent on its projects, from both employees and shareholders. “Every time we hear from our employees, we have the opportunity to learn,” he said. “It doesn’t mean that we’ll necessarily reach the same conclusion, but we do get smarter.” Indeed, Microsoft employees have protested several of the company’s decisions in the past few years. They criticized its partnership with oil giant Chevron, its bid for the JEDI cloud contract, and its involvement with the ICE....

Ok, the truth is this was in the works for a while, but it is good to see Microsoft being proactive again with Cortana. The company has recently removed the assistant from Dynamics 365 and many have speculated the company will eventually retire Cortana. Today’s news should cool those rumors as Redmond seems to want to expand Cortana support this year. The company says it is making it easier for manufacturers to implement Cortana Devices SDK into products....

As we reported last week, it is rare for Microsoft to roll out a cumulative update so close to Patch Tuesday. Either way, the company is back with Windows 10 patch release KB4023057. Microsoft says this update is available across all supported Windows 10 versions and brings stability and fixes to the platform. Specifically, the update deals with some problems users have reported to Microsoft. As usual, the company has provided a detailed log of the fixes made through this release....

For Xbox One users, there is now an emphasis on making it easier to access Xbox services and features. For example, finding frequently used apps and games is a simpler process. Furthermore, the new Home page comes with more customization options, including the ability to add and remove rows. Quick access options on the dashboard include Mixer, Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Live, and the Microsoft Store. Certainly, making frequently used apps and games more of a focal point is helpful....

1 Full Version 10.0.5 Changelog2 Recent Attention While not the feature rich bump we have seen in previous months, the new release does make some important changes. For example, launched RDP files will now be imported automatically. However, users must turn this feature on by heading to the General settings on the app. Sticking with RDP files, Microsoft says iCloud RDP files that have not been downloaded to Files can now be launched....

This is not as bad as it first seems. In fact, it means WSL2 on the Windows 10 preview branches are no in line with Windows 10 version 2004. That’s the Windows 10 May 2020 Update that is currently rolling out with a new Windows with Linux experience. Microsoft is removing the Linux kernel to help improve serviceability for the platform. Instead of the kernel sending out updates, Windows will now take care of all updates....

The tool is designed to enhance security around Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Azure Sphere is comprised of Microsoft microcontrollers alongside Sphere Linux-based OS and a Sphere cloud security service. Microcontrollers (MCUs) are small computers made of a single chip that have IoT capabilities with CPUs, storage, and memory. With the lunch of version 22.02, Microsoft is updating the Azure Sphere SDK for Windows and Linux, as well as extensions for Visual Studio, and the overall Azure Sphere OS....

Of course, it also works as good marketing. Participants can submit an article or video across six categories, which will be reviewed by a committee of Azure engineers. They’ll vote on a limited number of stories to feature and highlight one winning story per category. Featured stories will, of course, be published across the company’s platforms, from Medium to its Azure Dev and Open-Source Microsoft blog. A link back to the original content will be provided, while winners will get to chat with the Azure engineering team and get the Recognized Community Contributor title....

Both are Ability Hacks, meaning they are solutions that help people with disabilities or limited accessibility. A new book charting these two projects and the success of Microsoft’s Hackathon is aptly titled “The Ability Hacks”. The book was written by Greg Shaw, who may be familiar to Microsoft aficionados. He is the co-author of Satya Nadella’s first book “Hit Refresh”. Microsoft is involved in the book, providing a foreword by Corporate Vice President Peter Lee and an afterword by Lay-Flurrie....

As the version number suggests, this is the first major update following PowerShell 7, which arrived in March. PowerShell 7.1 is coming to all supporting platforms, including Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10. Microsoft’s Windows Server 2008 R2, 2012, 2012 R2, 2016, and 2019 are also included. Users on macOS 10.13 and above, and several Linux distributions can also download the latest update. In its release noted, Microsoft discusses why it aims to achieve with this update: “For PowerShell 7....

Interestingly, Microsoft says that developers simply must get used to the idea that customers want a cross-platform environment. Of course, dev’s face problems creating solutions that work equally across all different systems. Microsoft also points out that users want a more seamless way to transition between platforms. Project Rome aims to solve these problems. The company says fluidity between platforms is important for keeping customers happy: “Our vision with Project Rome is to deliver a personal operating system that is not tied to a device or a platform....

On the current full branch of Windows 10, the Search function is integrated with Cortana as you can see in the image above. Over this year, Microsoft has been changing how it will implement Cortana. With the rise of Alexa on Windows 10, Cortana is increasingly being moved towards being a productivity-focused virtual assistant. In other words, Cortana is being moved away from the front and center of the Windows 10 experience....

If you are unfamiliar with Fluent Design, it was once known as the Project Neon codename. It is Microsoft’s latest Windows 10 UI that will transform the look of the platform. The company said at Build 2017 that while it will launch with the Fall Creators Update, Fluent Design is actually a UI that will be developed over years. With Windows 10 preview build 16226, Microsoft has made a minor, but noticeable change....

In a blog post, the company says this ransomware wave started with a legitimate MEDoc process. This is a tax accounting software developed by Ukraine-based company M.E.Doc. With this evidence, Microsoft has been able to solve how the initial attack started. Petya brought down airports, banks, and other institutions across Europe. While it was first believed the attack would be bigger than the recent WannaCry wave, it was more limited....

It is worth noting the official games are not infected, but rather apps that clone these popular titles. Check Point Research (CPR) reported on the issue, calling the backdoor “Electron Bot”. According to the security firm, the malware allows attackers to take total control over a PC. Once inside, it can conduct remote execution attacks, allow threat actors to create new accounts, and take control of social media accounts. The attack has already been success, taking more than 5,000 victims across 20 countries....

Kees Hertogh, Microsoft general manager of global industry product marketing, announced the general availability to the tool. If you are wondering how you missed this service in preview, it is because it was previously known as the Microsoft Sustainability Calculator. So, this is a rebranding of the tool that launched back in 2020. As it moves to wide release, the abilities of the tool remain largely the same. By accessing Microsoft’s AI technology, the Emissions Impact Dashboard provides accurate accounting data for carbon usage across an organization....

With Microsoft Teams Shared Device, users essentially get a license to be able to adapt and remain secure. It is a rebranding of the previous Common Area Phone (CAP) feature. If you are unfamiliar with the ability, it is a license that is useful for enterprises because it allows a Teams device to be used safely in an area with multiple people and/or devices. Microsoft Teams Shared Device license will provide all the capabilities of the CAP license but also adds more functionality....

While Microsoft will be full steam ahead with enticing users to upgrade to Windows 11, which is free for Windows 10 users, the company knows some will remain on the older version. Especially enterprise customers who will want to wait for Windows 11 builds to stabilize before upgrading. In other words, Microsoft is rolling out Windows 10 version 21H2 to keep those users up-to-date. It is also worth noting the company will continue to support Windows 10 into the future....

Office app support had already been stopped on Android devices older than KitKat (Jellybean and below). Microsoft says the change will come into effect from July this year. Users still with those devices can still use the Office apps, but they won’t get any new feature update or any security patches. Users on those legacy Android builds without the Office suite will not be able to download apps from the Play Store....

Specifically, the new Azure Operator Distributed Services product that will function with AT&T Network Cloud Technology. Microsoft and AT&T have a long-running and extensive 5G partnership. Specifically, Microsoft Azure became integrated with AT&T’s Network Cloud 5G tools. The two tech giants have combined to become developers of the new Network Edge Compute (NEC). With the platform, Microsoft Azure and Edge computing solutions are available to 5G customers by leveraging AT&T 5G networks....