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In its accompanying write up, Time says: “Is it a phone or is it a notebook? In the case of Microsoft’s Surface Duo, the answer is it’s both. The dual-screen Android smartphone ($1,399) opens like a spiral binder, revealing a pair of screens. Unfold it and it’s a digital ­notebook—drag items from one app to another, expand a single app to fill both screens (perfect for reading), or use a Surface Pen to get some writing done on one screen while you chat on the other....

One early rumor for the Surface Laptop 4 is Microsoft will release a variant with an AMD chip. This would continue Microsoft’s relationship with AMD following the launch of an AMD version of the Surface Laptop 3 two years ago. We have been charting the likelihood of the company once again embracing AMD for the new model. It shows Microsoft’s ongoing willingness to diversify its chip partnerships. More than just relying on Intel silicon, Microsoft is increasingly working with AMD and the likes of Qualcomm for ARM chips....

As well as taking down associations to the botnet and seeking legal paths, Microsoft has also named and shamed one of the attackers behind ZLoader. Specifically, that is Denis Malikov, who is from Simferopol on the Crimean Peninsula. Microsoft Security carried out an investigation into the botnet and found Malikov. According to the company, publicly naming the criminal will be a warning to other malicious actors that they cannot remain anonymous: “We chose to name an individual in connection with this case to make clear that cybercriminals will not be allowed to hide behind the anonymity of the internet to commit their crimes....

1 Sessions2 Coronavirus Impact on Microsoft You may remember WSLConf was scheduled to be held this week in Microsoft’s Redmond base in Washington. However, the company was forced to cancel the physical conference as Washington became the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the United States. Instead, of giving up on the event, Microsoft switched it to a virtual only conference. Attendees can now tap into the event virtually and Microsoft says registration remains open....

Despite protests, Microsoft has resolutely said it will continue to work with military branches. True to that promise, the company has this week signed a monster $21.9 billion contract to extend HoloLens availability across armed forces. When the initial deal was signed in November 2018, Microsoft faced backlash, even from its own employees. Arguments against the deal focused on how HoloLens would be used to train soldiers and eventually lead to deaths....

The biggest change made to Skype UWP in build 11.13.133 is a new contacts system. Microsoft says it has simplified the way users connect with their contacts. Now Skype will show mutual contacts shared within the People app on a device. It is possible to turn this setting off within the app. Another change is the addition of searchable chats within the Messaging app. My including keyboard shortcuts, Skype UWP users now get easier choices more quickly....

1 How to Re-register the Microsoft Store When It’s Not Working2 How to Uninstall the Microsoft Store and Restore it Again Though a Microsoft Store reset may seem like the most obvious solution, a re-register is often recommended first. This way, you won’t lose any of the app’s data. Meanwhile, when you uninstall the Window Store and restore it again you can resolve problems a reset doesn’t catch. As a result, we’re going to be focusing on the less conventional re-register and uninstall methods in this tutorial, though you can always check our reset and repair guide if you’d like to go down that route....

1 Surface Deals2 Windows 10 PCs With that in mind, the Microsoft Store is ready with a bunch of Black Friday deals ahead of the Nov. 28 event. Starting with the company’s own Surface devices, there are some interesting offers available. For example, Microsoft has some interesting deals available for its Surface Pro 7 and Surface Laptop 3. These are the latest generation hardware Microsoft launched last month. Surface Deals “Surface Pro 7, powered by the latest 10th Generation Intel Core processors, remains the most versatile 2:1 device you can buy with a 12....

Reported by Aggiornamenti Lumia, the new addition is currently running in the Windows Insider Program. That means it is only available in preview on Windows 10 for those on the Insider. As always, Microsoft is working through the feature before launching it in a general build. The screenshots show that the Membership category is fairly self-explanatory. At the moment, the new Microsoft Store section shows Xbox Game Pass subscription options....

The largest banking institution in India has chosen to use Office 365 as its productivity platform for employees. SBI employs 222,033 staff in India, making it one of the chief employers in the country. The bank will use Office 365 apps and solutions in communication and for productivity. Nadella also revealed governments across India are also embracing Microsoft’s services. The CEO says state government departments in Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are using cloud and mobile technology from the company....

Specifically, the Twitter user notices that making new backups with File History is no longer supported. This could mean that Microsoft might be ready to completely remove the feature with the upcoming Fall Creators Update. As mentioned above, the File History Backup Tool has been around since Windows 8. Microsoft introduced the feature with the famous OS back in 2012. File History allows users to backup incremental revisions of files and then restore them from a secondary storage device....

Despite paying top dollar, customers are finding Surface devices to be among the least reliable. Consumer Reports says Microsoft’s hardware brand is much worse in terms of breakage compared to other leading manufacturers. The non-profit publication conducted a survey across 90,000 tablet and laptop owners. The results show an estimated 25 per cent with Surface products say they have “problems by the end of the second year of ownership.” In the study, published Thursday, the results suggest Surface devices are unreliable....

With that in mind, Skype’s Meet Now feature is now being baked directly into Windows 10. Currently testing in Windows Insider Preview Build 20211, the tool allows native video conferencing directly in the platform. Meet Now came to Skype earlier this year, but users needed to run the tool through the Skype app. With the new integration, users can bypass needing to open Skype first. Instead, Windows 10 users can begin video calls by creating a share link through a button in the OS’ taskbar notification section....

However, as we have seen, Microsoft’s workplace collaboration service cannot always handle the strain of so many users. After going down briefly two weeks ago, Microsoft Teams was out again this morning at the start of the work week. With Europe’s big five nations effectively shut down; people have become increasingly reliant on online services. By its very nature as an enterprise communication tool, Microsoft Teams was always going to be under strain....

Users of Microsoft Teams found error messages when they tried to sing in. According to that message, the app was not establishing an HTTPS connection with Microsoft servers. Microsoft released a post just after 9AM ET on Monday to confirm the issue. The company then returned with the following information: “We’ve determined that an authentication certificate has expired causing users to have issues using the service,” explains Microsoft’s outage notification....

More recently, the company launched its Windows Insider Lab, which lets organizations test new Enterprise features before they ship. It appears that the next expansion will target Surface Laptops. Though there’s been no official announcement from Microsoft, Windows Central reports the roll out of firmware updates exclusively to their Insider devices. Executive editor Daniel Rubino says the publication’s Fast Ring devices received seven firmware updates. Shortly after, the changes rolled out to Release Preview, suggesting a tiered release....

As the name suggests, task assignments let users assign tasks to other people or even to themselves. It is worth noting that because this is a collaborative feature, it is only available on the Shared Lists area of Microsoft To-Do. Family members, friends, colleagues, and other contacts can assign tasks to each other through a shared list. Once a task has been assigned, an “Assign to me” notification will appear on the left panel....

1 Business Users2 Admin Changes3 Consumer Users “We’re excited to announce new OneDrive features across Microsoft 365 that bring a more connected and flexible files experience to business users, more control to admins, and a more personal touch to everyone at home.” Microsoft says the features will be rolling out to the app during this month. Business Users On the business side, Microsoft 365 users can now easily add shared folders with an “Add to OneDrive” button....

By updating the USB 3.0 Card Reader, Microsoft is enabling SD card slot compatibility for Windows 10 Creators Update. If you are browsing the Update page, the new driver will show as: Realtek USB 3.0 Card Reader (10.0.14393.31230) ensure SD card slot compatibility with upcoming OS release. If you cannot pull in the update from the device, you can alternatively download it from the Surface Pro 3 Drivers and Firmware Page....

Microsoft announced last year a dramatic change to its update schedule. The company said it will reduce main feature updates to once a year. The second half of the year major Windows 10 release would be for ensuring stability on the previous build. According to the company, the goal was to sync its Windows 10 and Azure update cycles. However, Microsoft quickly changed its mind after customers reacted negatively to the proposal....