Ray tracing is a technology that boosts light quality, making games look graphically better. It has been available on Minecraft for Windows for some time. Xbox Series X and Xbox Serie S both support ray tracing, so gamers have been awaiting support for Minecraft on consoles. This week, Microsoft’s preview through the Xbox Insider Program seemed to be ending the wait. No, not if Microsoft has anything to do with it....
Since then, we’ve seen plenty of patents floating around suggesting that the company isn’t finished quite yet. Patents surfacing in January, March, and June all hint at possible designs, but we haven’t had any concrete information. Thanks to Windows Central, we now have a clearer idea of what Microsoft’s ‘Andromeda’ device could look like. According to the publication’s sources, it will be a foldable tablet much like Courier but will utilize Windows 10....
Some of you may be thinking of Google’s Andromeda, which was very similar to Microsoft’s. It would have unified Chrome OS with Android. However, Google decided to cancel the project back in June. By moving to a modular concept, Andromeda OS will allow Microsoft to adapt Windows to each specific device. Of course, this has positive implications for Internet of Things devices. It would also allow the company to scale the OS to specific devices....
What you see from Microsoft in terms of mobile output in 2018 is making the best of a bad situation. The company’s apps are spread across iOS and Android and in some cases thriving. However, Microsoft was never supposed to be merely a developer of software for other platforms. Let’s not forget it has its own platform in Windows. Redmond should have been a major player in the mobile space....
The first hint readers were given was a blog post on December 14 titled Thanks for Kinect’ing!. The blog post told readers its Kinect Gallery would retire, which is unsurprising, the device’s current popularity. On December, 20, a Final Coding4Fun Round-up gave a clearer idea of what was to come. Two days later, Coding4Fun announced it was shutting down. “Today is the last for the Coding4Fun Blog. We’ve had an awesome run, but times change,” said the goodbye message....
If you are unfamiliar with Windows CShell, it is a scalable version of Windows that adapts the UI to work across devices. While the Universal Windows Platform (UWP) started the convergence of the platform, but CShell is a level beyond. The idea is for users to enjoy exactly the same Windows 10 experience across all devices. In other words, we are talking about One Windows, built on one branch. One of the main points of CShell is that it brings the Start experience from Windows 10 PCs to Windows 10 Mobile handsets....
1 SwiftKey2 Fixes3 Known Issues Interestingly, Microsoft is testing Windows 10 20H1 before it has rolled out previews for Windows 10 19H2. And indeed, before is launched Windows 10 19H1 next month. We have discussed the odd situation in previous 20H1 preview posts, and Microsoft has acknowledged the bizarre testing formula in its Windows blog: “We will begin releasing 19H2 bits to Insiders later this spring after we get 19H1 nearly finished and ready; once 19H1 is “nearly finished and ready” we’ll also use the Release Preview ring for previews of drivers and quality updates on 19H1....
Leading the way is squashing a bug that had been preventing users from accessing Ink Analysis. Specifically, this feature was off limits because of the big. With this fix, users can once again receive ink insights and handwriting analysis. Moreover, there is an improvement to Insights in Sticky Notes Version 3.7. Now the app will remember insights across sessions, even if the user goes offline. Below are the official release notes:...
The Surface Go will weigh just 1.15 pounds with a thickness of 8.3mm, debuting at just $399 in the US. For that price, users get an 1800×1200 PixelSense display, 4 GB RAM, and Intel’s Pentium Gold 4415Y processor. It also offers an 8 GB/128 GB variant. For a company who has previously focused on flagship devices, it’s a huge diversion, and the use of USB-C charging shows Microsoft is finally willing to adapt....
We are often told we live in a connected world. While that may be true for those of us living in certain area, the term “connected world” is a falsehood. Over three billion people live without internet, not to mention any sort of connected technology hardware. Microsoft is one of the leading advocates in using TV White Space technology to bring low cost connection. The White Space signal sits on the 470MHz to 790MHz frequencies, a lower frequency than cellphone that sits unused in the television spectrum as it is a buffer for Wi-Fi connectivity....
With this feature, Microsoft is taking inspiration from a web browser ability that we now take for granted. Tabs are one of the most useful, but unnoticed, aspects of browsers. They simplify the UI, allowing users to switch easily between sites without needing several windows open, cluttering the PC. Microsoft has taken this influence and applied its to Sets. The feature will allow users to group together apps in Windows 10 tabs....
Speaking at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai, Microsoft executive vice president Harry Shum, made the announcement. He said the device will be available through two avenues. For HoloLens 2 Development Edition customers, the device is only available through the Mixed Reality Developer Program. The HMD will come with the following: HoloLens 2 mixed reality device $500.00 in Azure credits – To jump start your mixed reality development using Azure mixed reality services 3-month free trials of Unity Pro and the Unity PiXYZ Plugin for CAD data....
With the new UI, users can see files and folders more easily and can now see which are new. Shared content and who has accessed content can also be seen. All of these tasks can be completed with one click through the new People Card. Microsoft says it has used screen space to declutter OneDrive. The new UI makes it easier to find shared files, while thumbnails are larger. It is worth noting that the changes will be universal across devices using OneDrive for web....
Microsoft announced its plans to fold some Microsoft Teams and Skype features into each other in March. The cross functionality was expected in April, but was delayed until May. However, Microsoft returned last month and postponed the release again. The company put a vague June launch for the interoperability. Now that June is here, Microsoft has kept its word to the letter and launched Microsoft Teams and Skype integrations. The feature merger will allow Microsoft Teams users to make calls and send messages directly to Skype users....
Current subscribers of Office 365 Education will get Microsoft Teams as a free add-on to their existing service. The platform is available for Education, Education E3, Education E5, and Education Plus. Like the business version, Microsoft Teams for Office 365 Education is available in 181 markets and 19 languages. Microsoft’s March 21 Tech Community blog post announced the roll out today: “Starting March 20, 2017, Teams will be off by default and available to IT admins to turn on for their institutions....
We already know Project xCloud is a cloud-based game streaming service. We also know it will allow users to play Xbox titles across all form factors, including mobile devices. This means Microsoft will handle the computational heavy lifting through its own Azure servers, allowing players to use intensive games on the limited hardware of a smartphone. While Microsoft’s own server capabilities will play a big part, strong mobile connectivity will also be important....
The topics affected include: Windows 7, 8.1, 8.1 RT Microsoft Security Essentials Internet Explorer 10 Office 2010, 2013 Surface Pro, Surface Pro 2, Surface RT, Surface 2 Microsoft Band Mobile devices forum Zune The majority of these sub-forums will remain open for Microsoft Community participants, but some will be locked completely. That includes the mobile devices forum, as support will be shifted to ‘Other Windows mobile devices’. Microsoft Band will also be locked, as well Zune, which remain available for browsing....
The ability to flag emails is a handy feature that is available with leading email services, such as Outlook and Gmail. Windows 10 users running To-Do can now manage flagged emails without leaving the applications. It is worth noting the feature is only available to Windows users with a work or school account for Office 365. The company says flagged email lists from personal Microsoft Accounts may be added soon....
1 Windows 10 Changelog2 Apple iOS Update Leading the new features across both platforms is Smart List, which allows users to see tasks grouped in a list. Microsoft says the tool is one of the most frequently requested on the app. Don’t worry Android fans, the feature arrived on Microsoft To-Do for Android on Monday. Smart List also allows users to completed tasks, which are also grouped together more efficiently. Both features of Smart List can be activated through the app settings....
In his membership application letter last week, Microsoft Linux kernel developer Sasha Levin highlighted the company’s role as a Linux vendor. “Microsoft provides several distro-like builds which are not derivative of an existing distribution that are based on open source component. Microsoft customers have millions of cores running the various workloads described above,” he writes. “Microsoft has decades-long history of addressing security issues via MSRC. While we are able to quickly (<1-2 hours) create a build to address disclosed security issues, we require extensive testing and validation before we make these builds public....
