Microsoft Updates Cortana For Android Beta App

According to the Cortana for Android beta changelog, a new reminder widget has been added. However, users who have downloaded the update say little has changed with the widget. Also included in version 2.9.7. is an improvement for the default assistant function. Last month, Microsoft basically killed off Windows 10 Mobile. Without explicitly axing the platform, the company said it will not release new hardware and the platform is not a focus....

December 22, 2022 · 2 min · 294 words · James Herrman

Microsoft Uses Patch Tuesday To Roll Out Firmware Update For Surface Pro 4 And Surface Book

Its “Patch Tuesday” for May, which means Microsoft will be rolling out some simple updates today for its products and services, mostly to squash bugs and patch security holes. The company’s flagship hardware products, the Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book, are getting a firmware update as part of Patch Tuesday. As these are simple firmware fixes, the upgrade is not substantial in the sense of adding new features or functionality to the Surface devices....

December 22, 2022 · 2 min · 247 words · Jeremy Adams

Microsoft Will Reportedly Patch A Major Security Flaw On The Day Windows 7 Support Ends

Brain Krebs says the issue covers all Windows versions and is present in a core cryptographic component. He says the issue could have implications for various windows components, including authentication, protection of data in edge and Internet Explorer, and third-party applications. On top of this, Krebs says the NSA’s director of cybersecurity is set to host a call with media that “will provide advanced notification of a current NSA cybersecurity issue”....

December 22, 2022 · 2 min · 371 words · Lana Cook

Microsoft Will Require Windows 11 Laptops To Have A Precision Touchpad Webcam And Bluetooth

Microsoft has released the hardware specifications needed to upgrade to Windows 11, and it seems there is a webcam requirement coming into effect in 2023 and requirements around Bluetooth. We will start with the list of the general requirements: A modern 64-bit processor. Windows 11 is only a 64-bit platform, with no 32-bit version. 1Ghz clock speed 2 cores 64GB drive 4GB RAM UEFI, Secure Book capable & TPM 2....

December 22, 2022 · 2 min · 265 words · Thanh Chambers

Microsoft Word Editor Overview Panel Gives Users Total Control Over Document Editing

If you are unfamiliar with Microsoft update numbers, version 1802 basically means the release for February (02), 2018. As this is an Office Insider Program release, you will need to be on the testing branch to get it. That, in turn, means you need to be an Office 365 subscriber. The Editor Overview Pane seems to be a powerful new tool for Microsoft Word. It presents users with a selection of elements that need can be changed within a document....

December 22, 2022 · 2 min · 248 words · Robert Mccormack

Microsoft Word Gains New Feature To Help Users Stay In A Productivity Zone

In an announcement blog post, Microsoft says distractions can hamper progress and being in the flow can create focus. With this in mind, new technology for Microsoft Word helps users avoid those distractions. Many times, when users get distracted and need to come back to a document, picking up where they left off can be hard. Microsoft says its research shows Word users leave placeholders in a document to remind them where they are....

December 22, 2022 · 2 min · 282 words · Yvonne Billings

Microsoft Xbox Call Of Duty Mwii Multiplayer Free Access Event Will Not Require Xbox Live Gold

The event is already underway and will run until 10 am PT on Monday. Alongside Free Access to the multiplayer mode on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, gamers will also have access to popular maps such as Shipment, Farm 18, El Asilo. Within multiplayer, Xbox users can choose between Hardpoint, Team Deathmatch, Kill Confirmed, and Domination game modes. Furthermore, each of these modes are available in first-person or in third person: “Get a fresh perspective in Modern Warfare II’s new Third-Person Playlists....

December 22, 2022 · 2 min · 262 words · John Cohen

Millions Of Enterprise Pcs Not Compatible With Windows 11 Study Finds

According to its Windows 11 readiness survey, Lansweeper shows 55% of enterprise workstations do not match Microsoft’s upgrade requirements. The company uses a scan of around 30 million Windows installations across 60,000 organizations. While that is nowhere near the whole Windows install base worldwide, it is a good sample. Enough to make one clear conclusion… many enterprises are not prepared for Windows 11 without major hardware upgrade programs. 44.4% of installations would be ready for an upgrade, the study found, with 52....

December 22, 2022 · 2 min · 426 words · Sergio Fox

Minecraft Jurassic World Roars Onto The Minecraft Marketplace

Microsoft-owned Mojang says Jurassic World is now coming to Minecraft in the form of a new DLC. This is an official partnership that will see the Jurassic World setting of Isla Nublar, including the tourist centers, attractions, and more. “Have you ever wanted to train a dinosaur? (Yes!) Or create a park filled with awe-inspiring dinosaur exhibits – like the T. Rex or Velociraptor? (Definitely, yes!) Well today’s your lucky day (just 65 million years in the making)… welcome to Jurassic World!...

December 22, 2022 · 2 min · 253 words · Anna Obregon

Missing Microsoft Aslr Mitigation Leaves Windows Apps Vulnerable Across Linux Distros

If you are unfamiliar with ASLR, it is a defence that prevents code executed attacks on predictable memory locations on an operating system. It does this by literally randomizing program load addresses. The feature is a mainstay across Windows, Linux, Android, iOS and MacOS. Carnegie Mellon University’s computer emergency response team (CERT/CC) says “mingw-w64 produces executable Windows files without a relocations table by default, which breaks compatibility with ASLR”. It is worth pointing out that CERT/CC has hardly embraced ASLR in the past....

December 22, 2022 · 2 min · 291 words · Mary Thompson

New Commit Suggests Chrome Os Will Finally Get Fingerprint Authentication

A new Chromium Gerrit commit suggests that support is finally coming, adding to rumors of a next-gen biometric-enabled Pixelbook this year. Chrome Unboxed’s Gabriel Brangers spotted the addition, with several references to fingerprints. Named ‘cros: Add fingerprint setup screen as a post-login screen’, the commit describes Out-of-the-box setup. “<message name=”IDS_OOBE_FINGERPINT_SETUP_SCREEN_SENSOR_DESCRIPTION” desc=”The label that explains the location of the fingerprint sensor on the device.”> Touch the sensor with your index finger....

December 22, 2022 · 2 min · 217 words · Maya Collins

New Hp Engage Portoflio Offers Windows 10 Based Retail Kiosk And Self Service Solutions

The Engage One acts as a POS, self-service, and interactive signage station with biometric security and barcode scanning and printing accessories. It houses a 7th-gen Intel Core processor, a self-healing BIOS, and more. The Engage Go is a convertible device that lets employees transition to walking around the floor to a fixed countertop. It’s designed to work with the HP Engage Mobile device, which has up to 13 hours of battery life and can charge to 50% in 30 minutes....

December 22, 2022 · 2 min · 258 words · Brent Smith

North Koreans Get Ipad Without An Apple In Sight

Of course, borrowing means outright stealing and defying copyright laws. NK News reports information from the North Korean Foreign Trade magazine, which holds an ad for the tablet. Called the Ryonghung iPad, the device does now quite match up to Apple’s market-leading slate. Indeed, the North Korea, let’s call it a rip off, sports a 1GHz CPU, 512MB RAM, 8GB storage, an 8-inch screen, and a paltry six hours of battery life....

December 22, 2022 · 2 min · 340 words · Mable Collymore

Office 365 To Get Custom Email Addresses This Quarter

If you’re unfamiliar with custom email addressing, it is a feature that can be provided by email clients. It is also known as subaddressing and is a part of the RFC 5233 internet standard. Users can extend their email address through the + symbol or tags. For example, an email address of [email protected] can, the subaddressing feature can extend the email to [email protected] If an email client supports the tool, emails sent to the [email protected] will be received in [email protected] Users can choose any unique tag they like....

December 22, 2022 · 2 min · 283 words · Mary Renteria

Outlook For Android Gets Granular Notification Control Microsoft Graph Additions

The notification-based feature lets users customize email notifications from their favorite contacts. VIPs now have their own space on the sidebar for fast access, while users can set Outlook to a ‘busy’ mode where they’ll only receive email notifications from select contacts. It’s worth noting that these favorites will apply automatically in Outlook for Web for added convenience. “Marking someone in your company or one of your saved Outlook contacts as a favorite is easy,” said Microsoft’s Gabriel Valdez Malpartida....

December 22, 2022 · 2 min · 226 words · Virginia Hansen

Outlook On Windows Gets Fix For Calendar Bug

According to Microsoft, the problem in Outlook on Windows was possibly caused by low screen DPI or dot density. In a blog post, the company offers the following explanation and fix details: “ISSUE After user selects multiple calendars in the Calendar pane, they may notice the incorrect timeslot/meeting is selected when they click on a meeting while viewing multiple Calendars. Calendars where the user has Full Access (which are not automapped) may display incorrectly....

December 22, 2022 · 2 min · 253 words · Gerald Borden

Pirates Turn To Google Drive And Onedrive As Torrent Site Crackdown Continues

The first major site to go was The Pirate Bay, which Swedish police seized in 2014. Kickass Torrents, a rival site, was seized by the U.S. government in July of 2016, followed by Torrentz.eu weeks later. Users have been able to access the services with only minor convenience thanks to hundreds of mirror sites. However, pirates have experienced a continual degradation in quality thanks to malicious and invasive ads. Bing and Google have also been demoting and removing sites with Copyright Infringement notices, making it harder to discover new sites....

December 22, 2022 · 2 min · 391 words · Shannon Groves

Pubfinity Launches As Potential Replacement For Microsoft S Ad Monetization Platform

To help fill the gap left behind by the Ad Monetization Platform, a new network called Pubfinity has been launched. The service is backed by Sam Kaufmann, CEO of Random Salad Gaming. Developers were caught off guard by the decision to end the Ad Monetization Platform. Microsoft is not creating an alternative, leaving some dev’s concerned about how to make money from their apps. Speaking with CNBC, Kaufmann says Random Salad Games has already been using Pubfinity for their own games....

December 22, 2022 · 2 min · 221 words · Sean Link

Publications Criticize Microsoft For Holding Back Free Wannacrypt Patch For Windows Xp

The publication says Microsoft held back a free repair update on Windows XP machines, instead reserving it for customers with custom support contracts. Those agreements cost as much as $1,000 per device per year. “It should be included in all Windows; it shouldn’t be that you have to pay more for a more secure version of Windows,” said Michael Cherry, an analyst at Directions on Microsoft. Two Different Camps However, while some agree with this sentiment, there is an opposing argument....

December 22, 2022 · 2 min · 277 words · Martin Pangelinan

Remote Desktop Is Not Working On Windows 11 22H2 But Task Manager Can Help

Specifically, Microsoft points out that the Remote Desktop app can randomly stop working when running on Windows 11 22H2: “After installing Windows 11, version 22H2 (also called Windows 11 2022 Update), the Windows Remote Desktop application might stop responding when connecting via a Remote Desktop gateway or Remote Desktop Connection Broker. […] This issue can be observed when the client is at the “Loading virtual machine” or “Configuring remote connection” steps, and might occur regardless of the OS version installed on the remote computer....

December 22, 2022 · 2 min · 416 words · Darwin Monarez